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● Major banks and payment platforms will bring their initiatives to Madrid to create new digital currencies pegged to the euro and the dollar
● BBVA, along with other banks, will analyze its participation in Qivalis, the consortium of 37 entities preparing a regulated European stablecoin under MiCA
● Trade Republic will bring the perspective of European investment platforms on crypto-asset adoption, while Western Union will present its USDPT stablecoin
● MERGE Madrid 2026 will gather over 3,000 attendees and 250 international speakers from October 27 to 29 at the Madrid Stock Exchange and Cibeles Palace
Madrid, September 2026.– Stablecoins are no longer an exclusive tool of the crypto ecosystem; they have become a strategic priority for banks, fintechs, and global payment companies. Santander, BBVA, Trade Republic, and Western Union will participate in MERGE Madrid 2026 to analyze how this new financial infrastructure will transform payments, international transfers, investment, and asset settlement.
The new edition of MERGE Madrid will take place from October 27 to 29, placing the Spanish capital at the center of the debate on the future of money. The event will bring together four complementary perspectives: collaboration among major international banks, the creation of a European stablecoin under MiCA, the adoption of digital assets from a European investment platform, and the integration of a digital dollar into one of the world’s largest remittance networks.
Four approaches anticipating the future of digital money
BBVA, Banca Sella, BNP Paribas, CaixaBank, Cecabank, Intesa Sanpaolo, Kutxabank, Piraeus Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, and Bankinter will present their role in Qivalis, the alliance bringing together 37 financial institutions across 15 European countries to promote a euro-denominated stablecoin. The project aims to offer faster, cheaper payments and transfers available 24/7, as well as facilitate the settlement of digital assets within a regulated environment. Its commercial launch is planned for the second half of 2026, subject to relevant authorization.
Santander will address the initiative it is exploring alongside Bank of America, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, MUFG, TD Bank, and UBS to issue a form of digital money backed one-to-one by reserves and available on public blockchains. The project studies currencies linked to G7 currencies and reflects how international banking seeks to build common standards to operate with digital money securely and in a regulated manner.
Trade Republic will share the perspective of one of Europe’s leading investment and savings platforms on incorporating digital assets into everyday financial services. Its participation will allow an analysis of what retail investors demand, how simple and regulated access to crypto-assets can be facilitated, and what role digital platforms will play in adopting new financial infrastructures in Europe.
Western Union will present USDPT, its dollar-denominated stablecoin issued by Anchorage Digital Bank and built on Solana. The company is integrating this asset into its Digital Asset Network to connect digital money with real-world uses: 24/7 transfers, payments, and conversion to local currency across its international network. The initiative shows how stablecoins can complement cash and remittance infrastructure rather than operating as an isolated circuit.
“For the first time, banks, fintechs, and major payment companies are not coming to debate whether stablecoins will play a role in the financial system, but rather to explain how they are building and integrating them, and what specific problems they aim to solve with them. MERGE Madrid will be the venue where we can compare these models and understand what form digital money will take in Europe and Latin America,” explains Paula Pascual, founder of MERGE.
Why everyone wants to launch a stablecoin now
The interest coincides with a decisive moment for the industry. The MiCA regulation has established a specific framework in Europe for the issuance and commercialization of crypto-assets, while the growth of dollar-pegged stablecoins has opened a debate on monetary sovereignty and Europe’s ability to develop its own payment infrastructures.
For financial entities, these currencies allow exploring near-instant international transfers, programmable payments, continuously available operations, and settlements of tokenized assets without relying on traditional hours. For payment and remittance platforms, they offer the possibility of reducing intermediaries and directly connecting digital money with merchants, bank accounts, and cash pickup points.
The discussion at MERGE Madrid will go beyond technology. Participants will analyze who should issue these currencies, how reserves are protected, what guarantees users need, how they can coexist with bank deposits and the future digital euro, and which model is most likely to achieve real adoption.
Madrid brings together the banking sector building the new digital money
The program will gather leaders in banking, payments, investment, regulation, blockchain infrastructure, and digital assets. Confirmed speakers include Coty de Monteverde, Global Head of Crypto & Digital Assets at Banco Santander; Francisco Maroto, Head of Blockchain and Digital Assets at BBVA; as well as representatives from Trade Republic, Western Union, Qivalis, Mastercard, Ripple, and other companies developing next-generation financial infrastructure.
The October 27 session will take place at the Madrid Stock Exchange with an Institutional Summit aimed at banks, investors, regulators, and industry leaders. On October 28 and 29, Cibeles Palace will host the main conference, with over 3,000 attendees and 250 international speakers from Europe and Latin America.
In addition to stablecoins and digital payments, the agenda will cover tokenization, custody, regulation, capital markets, Bitcoin, artificial intelligence applied to finance, and new blockchain infrastructures. MERGE thus reinforces its position as a bridge between traditional banking and the digital asset ecosystem on both sides of the Atlantic.
About MERGE
MERGE is the leading institutional platform for digital assets, blockchain, and Web3 connecting Europe and Latin America. Through its events in Madrid and São Paulo, it brings together banks, regulators, corporations, investors, fintechs, startups, and native companies in the digital ecosystem to foster collaboration and the development of new business models.
More information, agenda, and tickets:
Press Contact
Ana Ávila
CXO at Wildcom
+34 620 981 115
aavila@wildcom.es
This article is not intended as financial advice. Educational purposes only.
